New Mission Ideas Wishlist

[Pursuivant]

Patrol Aircraft Missions

Rescue Patrol - When aircraft spots a specified sea object (set in FMB), the mission triggers a ship or boat to sail (set in FMB) directly to the object's location.

Points are awarded for detecting floating objects, when the rescue ship detects the player's plane (to encourage the player to orbit the object that needs to be rescued), and when the rescue ship reaches the rescue object.

Land to Rescue - Player aircraft must land on water to pick up a floating object. Similar to Passenger Pick-Up Mission described above, but loading time is slower due to time needed to haul survivors out of the water.

Points are awarded when player detects the object to be rescued, when they land, when survivors are "loaded" and when the plane takes off again.

The plane should take on extra mass as survivors are loaded, and there might be limits to the number of survivors a plane can take on board. Each survivor takes some time to load. Rescue object vanishes when all survivors are aboard the plane.

Artillery Spotting - Player aircraft controls gunfire from specified friendly ship or artillery battery (set in FMB). If ship/battery is in range of a target, the player can type in range and direction for guns, then correct fire (left, right, drop, add a certain number of meters) until target is hit.

Player gets points for destroying targets using friendly ship's/battery's guns.

There will be a time interval between when the player calls in artillery, when the battery fires, and when artillery shells hit. Realistically, the player should also be able to specify single gun or battery fire, and shell type (smoke, white phosphorus, high explosive).

This type of mission already exists as a mod, so it should be doable.

ASV Radar Intercept - Player detects surface vessel on radar, then attacks at low level. Would require design and programming of at least one Air to Surface Vessel Radar.

ASV Radar/Leigh Light Intercept - As above, but plane is also equipped with Leigh Light for night missions. Would require design and programming of Leigh Light as optional loadout.

Mine-Dropping - Simulates dropping mines and similar ordinance.

Player gets points for dropping mines in drop zone, and for destroying ships using dropped mines.

Mines can only be dropped below a certain altitude and speed, and only work if dropped into water. Once dropped they are treated like bombs, but with fuses which only trigger when a ship object touches them (contact mines), or gets within a certain distance (acoustic and magnetic mines). Acoustic/Magnetic mines might have a high failure rate, representing countermeasures. Things like water depth would have to be ignored, or determined by mission builder.

Mine objects would need to be created and added as loadouts.

This type of loadout already exists as a mod, so it is doable.

Anti-Submarine Missions - Allows player to drop depth charges. Depth charges are treated similarly to aerial mines, but must be fused to go off at a certain depth (this can be treated like a delay fuse). Their effective "TNT value" increases with depth as well (simulating increased effects on submarine hulls under pressue). Can damage or destroy submerged submarines within the blast radius. Damaged submerged submarines might be forced to surface. Sunk submarines are replaced with oil slick effect.

This type of mission would require lots of animation and coding to give submarines a bit of AI. Damaged subs would need to be programmed to surface. Then, they'd either need to fight back or surrender based on damage (in the latter case - launch life rafts, then the sub sinks as it is scuttled). Subs on the surface would need to dive, being replaced with submerged sub object after a certain number of seconds. Sunk subs on the surface would need a sinking routine, finishing with an oil slick effect. Sunk submerged subs just produce an oil slick.

Submerged sub objects would need to artificially add range (since IL2 doesn't model water depth beyond a certain point) when figuring damage from bombs and depth charges.

New Game Objects Needed

Aircrew floating in water - For all nations, not just US and Japan. Both as bail-out sequence objects and as placeable objects in the FMB. Could probably just use model for US pilot, reskinned for British, German, etc. Could have both single and group object.

Seamen floating in water - identical to aircrew floating in water, but different skin. Could have both single and group object.

Aircrew floating in life rafts - For nations that had life rafts (US, UK, Germany). Both as bail-out sequence objects and as placeable objects in the FMB. Will launch aerial flares when friendly aircraft get within X distance.

Lifeboats with survivors - Will launch aerial flares when friendly aircraft get within X distance. This has already been made, but hasn't been included in the game.

Carley float with survivors - For nations that had them (US, UK, possibly others).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carley_float

Otherwise identical to lifeboat.

Rafts/wreckage with survivors - as for lifeboat, but perhaps no flares.

Oil slick/debris from sunken ship/sub - both as post sinking animation, and as placeable object in FMB. This has already been made, but hasn't been included in the game. Useful because it is visible at greater distances than lifeboats/Carley floats.

Oil slick/debris from sunken airplane - both as post crash animation and as placeable object in FMB. Same purpose as oil slick from ship.

MTB/PT/E-boats for nations that had them - US PT boat, British MTB, Italian MAS. These represent sea rescue craft.

Different Artillery Shell Effects - For different sized guns and different rounds. Most important would be smoke/white phosphorus used as marker rounds.

Different aerial mine types - For nations that used them.

Aerial depth charge types - For relevant nations.

New submerged sub objects - 25 m increments down to 300 m.